Attitude change through service learning.

Abstract

General education teachers are being directed to embrace and implement inclusive practices as a result of the enactment of IDEA. However, an essential element for successful inclusion lies not in legal mandates, but rather, in teacher attitude. The author examines the service learning experiences of preservice general education teachers. Service learning in a special education setting is an important component in the education of preservice general educators allowing for personal reflection and exposure that affects their attitudes toward students with disabilities.

Attitudes Toward Disabilities

The inclusion of students with disabilities is drastically altering the roles and responsibilities of general education teachers in the United States. Under the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students with disabilities no longer have to earn the right to participate in the general education environment. Special education is now viewed as a set of services and not a location, placing the responsibility on all American school districts to support students with disabilities in the general curriculum and for the most part in general education classes (IDEA, 1997). The issues surrounding inclusive education are far from simple, and there remain debates in the educational community over both ideology and implementation. There are those who favor "full inclusion" with what amounts to a battle cry of "all means all" (Lipsky & Gartner, 1996). Proponents of full inclusion for all students declare that all students would benefit from an educational community that is committed to supporting student growth and understanding of the dynamics involved in learning. There are others who, while supporting inclusion for most, contend that the continuation of options regarding where learning occurs must remain open. Placements in a continuum of services include such environments as special education self-contained classes and schools.

What has not been the subject of debate, however, is the enormous impact of inclusion, whether full or partial, on the general education community. While an expanse of student abilities within general education classrooms is historical, the diversity of that range today includes students with mild to severe disabilities, as well as a broad array of other cultural and linguistic factors. Today, in typical general education classrooms all over the country and at all levels, there are students with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, and physical and sensory disabilities. The multiplicity of student characteristics and needs is stretching the boundaries of the general educator's teaching in such a learning environment. General education teachers are being directed to embrace and implement inclusive practices (Kolar & Dickson, 2002). In order for inclusion to be successful, an essential element must be addressed: attitude. The positive attitudes of all participants in inclusive settings, including teachers, students, parents, administrators and support staff, towards students with disabilities, is of the utmost importance. Without a belief system that incorporates notions of great expectations of learning and growth for students with disabilities in inclusive settings, there will be little learning or growth (Kolar & Dickson, 2002; Lipsky & Gartner, 1996).

But, how, when, and where in the education of teachers, does reflection on individual belief systems take place? Preservice general education programs on the undergraduate and graduate levels are increasingly incorporating special education courses into their plan of studies to address attitudes and expand knowledge. Some programs are now adding the additional component of service learning to present preservice general education teachers with direct exposure to students with disabilities. This exposure is critical for future teachers to provide them with opportunities to examine their personal attitudes toward the wide diversity of learners (Cromwell & Curran, 2002; Mayhew, 2000; Boyle-Baise & Efiom, 1999). Indeed, service learning has been found to influence attitude change (Stadtlander, 2002; Mayhew, 2000; McMahon, 1998) and its tenet, to go and do for others, provides an excellent opportunity for preservice teachers to take a leap into a world that they may otherwise avoid or have little opportunity to experience (Cromwell & Curran, 2002; Stukas & Dunlap, 2002; Stadtlander, 2002; McMahon, 1998). Precisely because service learning is action-oriented, future teachers are expected to take an active role in their placements, not just merely observe. Taking an active role in service learning supports understanding, increases knowledge and changes attitudes (Cromwell & Curran, 2002; Stukas & Dunlap, 2002; Stadtlander, 2002; Shastri, 2001; Mayhew, 2000; McMahon, 1998).

This article describes a service learning component of an undergraduate, preservice, special education course. Required of all elementary and secondary general education majors, the introductory special education course is typically taken during the preservice teacher's junior or senior year. For the most part, students had no formal exposure to individuals with disabilities and had not attended classes at an elementary or a secondary school containing individuals with disabilities. Only a few of the 58 preservice teachers had any direct experience with a person with a disability. Based on extensive class discussions, the students' attitudes seemed to be shaped primarily by media exposure and general stereotypic interpretations of people with disabilities.

Service Learning Structure

Components of the preservice special education undergraduate course included the dissemination of disability information via lecture, PowerPoint[TM] presentations, case studies, and videos. Ten hours of service learning in special education classrooms and learner response journals containing reflections on this experience were also required. A variety of urban, public and private school service learning sites were available to the preservice teachers. The disabilities of the students within the schools included a range of conditions that affect learning, including autism, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The ages of the students with disabilities ranged from three to eighteen years old. The preservice teachers were first given a tour of their chosen school and then asked to select the classroom setting they preferred. Throughout the semester, class discussions regarding service learning experiences were conducted. In addition, the students' learner response journals highlighted their perceptions of the service learning experience. The learner response journals of 58 preservice students were reviewed and analyzed for the student thoughts and reflections regarding their service learning experiences. These responses were coded by the course instructor according to emerging themes, with the following four recurring themes highlighted.

Theme 1: Initial reactions Many preservice students expressed confusion as to why they, as general education teachers, even had to take a course in special education. The preservice students uniformly expressed intense apprehension at having to participate in the service learning component of the introductory special education course.

Confusion: When I was told I had to take this course I couldn't understand why I would have to take a course about people with disabilities.

Apprehension: I was a bit hesitant when I heard that service learning was a mandatory part of this course ... I was really scared ... I didn't know what to expect. I was fearful of special education. At first I did not want to continue ... I was not ready for any of this ... I was very taken aback, intimidated, and scared.

Theme 2: Pedagogical techniques learned Many students felt that being in the classrooms provided an important opportunity to see both effective and ineffective teaching methods and routines.

Parent Communication Journal: The teacher writes to the children's parents in a journal, ... she gave me one to look at ... mother would write back.

Positive Teacher Modeling I was amazed at the way the movement teacher interacted with all the children. The teacher as well as the 3 paraprofessionals in the room always praised the kids for doing something good.

Behavior Management: I was able to see different ways of handling a child's outbursts or tantrums. The class needed almost constant attention and activity just to keep them focused. Taught the students different ways of solving problems

Theory to Practice: I was able to see first hand many of the aspects and theories that I've learned in this course.

Theme 3: Personal development The preservice teachers had the opportunity to reflect on their positions in the world and in education.

I learned a lot from this experience ... how to talk and act around people who are different and not to be afraid.

I honestly know that I can handle these students.

I enjoyed working with this class so much that I asked if I could come back and work with them after my semester was over.

This experience and the students taught me things about my life and myself that will be of great help to me in the future.

This experience is one of the greatest I have ever experienced.

This experience makes you want to teach more and also makes you realize how important you are in helping a child succeed in their education.

I could see where I may not have the patience to teach special education.

I found it hard to see the students making the same mistakes over and over. This class has given me a completely different view on life.

Theme 4: Understanding of disabilities. Although the special education course could only give the students an introductory exposure to a myriad of disabilities, the service learning component allowed the students to focus on particular disabilities in a very personal way.

I really enjoyed working with children with autism.

I could not get the children off of my mind, especially the child who kept hugging me. (The students) looked like normal kids, but they each had problems.

I found myself reading the text book as much as I could to learn about each of the students, so I knew where they were coming from.

One of the girls asked me to help her ... I walked over and helped her ... it felt really good to be able to get to know this girl. I was able to identify with her based on her likes and dislikes, and she seemed happy during our conversation.

Autistic children are very different from what I expected, and I am embarrassed that I was never educated on this until this experience.

In the end, I walked away from the experience with a new friend. A person, who before this class if I met him on the street I would have probably never have given him a second look.

Implications

Service learning has generally been regarded by many as a way for college students to "give back" to the community. However, the experiences of this group of preservice teachers clearly demonstrate the additional benefits of service learning in supporting growth of understanding, change in attitudes, and increase of knowledge of the participants.

   ... only taking elementary education I am missing out.... I'm
   thinking of pursuing special education as my master's degree.

   I entered this class as a student pursuing a career as a high school
   English teacher. It never crossed my mind that one course would
   influence my decision making in such an important way. My future
   goals now include pursuing a Special Education masters.... I am
   walking away with a special interest in special education.... I have
   expanded my interest.

The preservice teachers were general education majors and most reported that they had little or no prior exposure to students with disabilities. In fact, they generally felt that students with special needs were the responsibility of special education teachers and would have little impact on them as teachers. With the advent of more inclusion classes in schools, students in general education teacher programs need to be aware of the educational impact of different disabilities on both their teaching and student learning, but mere awareness is not enough. Each of the 58 preservice general education teachers expressed the positive impact of their service learning experiences through class discussions and journal entries. The preservice teachers agreed that myths were dispelled and future teaching was impacted. They reported being touched through service learning in a way that would not otherwise be possible by traditional class formats. The preservice teachers expressed that readings from the text, participating in class discussion, and listening to class lectures paled in comparison to the insight and knowledge gained through the 10 hours of service learning experience As one preservice student reflected: Reading a textbook gives one a certain perspective of teaching, the problems that arise, the challenges one is forced to face as well as conquer. However, actually being a part of the learning process gives an entirely different meaning and respect to teaching.

References

Boyle-Baise, M., & Efiom, P. (1999, April). The construction of meaning: Learning from service learning. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada.

Cromwell, R. R., & Curran, J. M. (2002). Service learning integrated into a conceptual framework improves a teacher education program. Unpublished manuscript.

Kolar, C., & Dickson, S. V. (2002). Preservice general educators' perceptions of structured reflective logs as viable learning tools in a university course on exclusionary practices. Teacher Education and Special Education, 25, 395-406.

Lipsky, D. K., & Gartner, A. (1996). Inclusion, school restructuring, and the remaking of American society. Harvard Educational Review, 66, 762-795.

Mayhew, J. (2000, March). Service learning in preservice special education: A comparison of two approaches. Paper presented at the Capitalizing on Leadership in Rural Special Education: Making a Difference for Children and Families Conference Proceedings, Alexandria, Virginia.

McMahon, R. (1998, November). Service learning: Perceptions of preservice teachers. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association, New Orleans.

Shastri, A. (2001, March). Examining the impact of service-learning among preservice teachers. Paper presented at the annual meeting and exhibits of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Dallas.

Stadtlander, L. M. (2002). Integrating research, teaching, and service through a graduate service-learning course. Teaching of Psychology, 29, 67-69.

Stukas, A. A., & Dunlap, M. R. (2002). Community involvement: Theoretical approaches and educational initiatives. Journal of Social Issues, 58, 411-427.

Gloria Lodato Wilson, Hofstra University, NY

Gloria Lodato Wilson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Counseling, Rehabilitation, Special Education and Research Department.